The present invention relates to communication systems in general and in particular to facsimile and data communication systems.
In the past ten years, the two devices that have probably had the greatest impact on the way modern business is conducted are the personal computer and the facsimile (fax) machine. Facsimile machines have revolutionized the speed at which replicas of documents can be transmitted from one place to another. With a facsimile machine, copies of documents can be sent all over the world almost instantaneously, without the delay, cost, or uncertainty that accompanies sending original documents through the mail.
Similarly, personal computers have also changed the modern business environment. With a personal computer, large numbers of documents can be stored, retrieved, edited and printed with virtually the touch of a button. A facsimile-compatible modem, together with appropriate software, allows a user to combine the benefits of both computer and facsimile technology in a single machine. With a facsimile-compatible modem and software to control it, it is possible to send and receive facsimile documents to and from a computer. While facsimile-compatible modems generally work well, there are situations where it is either too costly or impractical for every computer user who wishes to have the ability to send and receive fax messages on a computer to buy a facsimile-compatible modem and the required telephone line services. One way of making computer-based faxing more affordable is to share the modem, software, and required telephone line services via a computer network.
In the past few years, networked computer systems, so-called local area networks (LANs), have become the predominant way of connecting more than one computer together. A typical LAN system includes a central server computer, and a plurality of satellite computers that are coupled to the central server computer and to each other, by electrical or fiber optic cables. Local area networks allow the plurality of satellite computers to share software programs and data as well as computer hardware such as printers, disk drives or facsimile-compatible modems.
As described above, it is possible for a networked computer system to be equipped with a single facsimile-compatible modem so that each user of the network can send and receive facsimile documents directly from their computer. Facsimile-compatible modems are typically coupled to the central server computer and have a single telephone line that connects the modem to a telephone switching network.
While it is not a problem to send facsimile documents using a facsimile-compatible modem on a local area network, there currently exists no reliable method whereby facsimile documents can be received by one user of the network without the possibility that another user may be able to read the document. Because current local area network systems have no way of determining who is the intended recipient of a facsimile document as it is being received, all received facsimile documents are handled in one of two ways. The first way in which the local area network handles received facsimile documents is to place the received documents in a common folder on the central server computer that is accessible by all users of the system. Users of the network system must open and view each received facsimile document in order to determine its intended recipient. Obviously, such a process jeopardizes the confidential nature of the information contained within the received facsimile documents. The second common way a local area network routes a received facsimile document to its intended recipient is to require the sender of the facsimile to insert a code into some recognizable part of the document (e.g., the first page). The code is read by an optical character recognition program that can decipher the code and associate it with a particular user of the network computer system who is the recipient of the document. The central server computer can then alert the recipient that a facsimile document has been received. The problem with this approach is that the sender of the facsimile must know how to insert the code into the document according to the particular protocol required by the central server computer as well as know the particular code to be inserted for the intended recipient. A second problem with this approach is that optical character recognition program is not always accurate.
Therefore, there exists a need for a system whereby facsimile documents can be received by a single facsimile-compatible modem on a networked computer system and directed to their intended recipient with high reliability and without comprising the confidentiality of the documents received.
The system should be compatible with current facsimile machines and facsimile store-and-forward services as will be further described below. The system should require no more hardware than is currently required to send and receive facsimile documents on a local area network computer system. Finally, the system should not require the sender of the facsimile to insert any additional codes into the document itself That is to say, the system should be transparent to the sender of the facsimile.
The present invention comprises a method for transmitting facsimile documents from a facsimile store-and-forward service computer (service computer) to a networked computer system that has a facsimile-compatible (fax) modem associated with one computer on the network. For the purposes of the present specification, the computer having the fax modem associated with it shall be designated as the central server computer. The facsimile-compatible modem is coupled to the central server computer for transmitting facsimile documents to another facsimile machine or to a store-and-forward service computer and for receiving facsimile documents from a store-and-forward service computer in which the facsimile documents have been previously stored. Software on the central server computer causes the facsimile-compatible modem to dial a telephone number to connect the networked computer system to a remote facsimile store-and-forward service computer. Next, the central server computer causes the modem to transmit a series of codes to the service computer that 1) specify the identification of a particular user known to the store-and-forward service computer, if such identification is required (Note: In cases in which the facsimile store-and-forward service provides a unique telephone number for each user, this step is not required), 2) provide a security code associated with the particular user, and 3) indicate that the facsimile-compatible modem wishes to receive facsimile documents stored in the service computer that are to be directed to the particular user. The service computer then transmits any facsimile documents that are to be directed to the particular user to the facsimile-compatible modem. Upon receiving the facsimile documents, the central server computer opens a file that is associated with the particular user and stores the received facsimile documents in the file. Finally, the central server computer alerts the particular user of the networked computer system that a facsimile document has been received. Preferably, the central server computer periodically performs the above-referenced steps for each user of the networked computer system.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the store-and-forward service computer is programmed to send any received facsimile documents to the central server computer for the particular networked computer system on which the intended recipient is located. When the service computer receives a facsimile document, the service computer reads a record of user profile data that is associated with the intended recipient. If the user profile data indicates the received facsimile document is to be transmitted to a networked computer system, the service computer reads a telephone number for a facsimile-compatible modem coupled to the networked computer system. The service computer then inserts a unique code assigned to the recipient into a header block. The service computer then dials the number of the facsimile-compatible modem and transmits both the header block and the facsimile document to the facsimile-compatible modem. The central server computer on the networked computer system reads the header block to determine who is the intended recipient of the facsimile document. The central server computer then stores the received facsimile document in a file or folder associated with the intended recipient and alerts the intended recipient that a facsimile document has been received.